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My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

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Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

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How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

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If you are in line to indict donald trump, stay in line.

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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Three’s Company

Three’s Company

by | 95 Comments

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Here’s a picture of my sister’s dog, Huck, relaxing on the couch:

That pic doesn’t do him justice. He’s really one of the most beautiful dogs I’ve ever met, and he is super sweet. He looks like the old RCA dog when he sits up. Here’s the group shot:

It’s just super obvious to me that Rosie has lost weight. She’s also become quite the lover- her nickname around my parent’s house is “the kissing bandit.” Where she once snarled, now she LURVES people. We think she was abused and kept in a crate most of her life, hence the early hostility to people, and because she eats lying down.

I also love how Lily sits with her paws crossed like a real lady!

Reader Interactions

95Comments

  2. 2.

    debit

    Rosie!! Cole, I may not have said before, but I’m so happy you decided to keep her. She just always looks so happy.

  5. 5.

    Yutsano

    PUPPEH PUPPEH PUPPEH!!

    I’m about to head out to dinner with family and friends. Pretty sure I’ll be picking up the tab AGAIN but I guess it’s my fault for actually saving up my cash & stuff. Oh well.

  8. 8.

    cmorenc

    Rosie doesn’t look momentarily too happy down there on the floor. What’s up with that, the other two dogs won’t willingly share their respective plush chairs with her?

  10. 10.

    lamh32

    Okay, so I’m watching “Left At the Alter” on TLC, about real stories of women who have been left at the alter.

    I’ve been to a few weddings, and I gotta say, I’ve never been to one where the Bride or Groom didn’t show up for the actual day.

    Of course i’ve been to more than a few wedding that ended in divorce, but never to one that never happened.

    And come to think of it, I don’t really know anyone who ever been in such a situation as a guest either.

    Any of ya’ll ever been to a wedding where the groom or bride didn’t show up?

    What’s worse about these stories is that in a lot of the cases, especially with the brides families, these wedding were not cheap. Once you’ve booked all the players (caterers, dj, band, minister, officals, etc…) even if you don’t make it down the aisle, you sitll have to pay them right? Or do many of these people have a “cancellation” fee?

  11. 11.

    PTirebiter

    It warms my heart to hear how well Rosie is doing.
    FWIW — the RCA mascot’s name was Nipper. I remember them replacing Nipper listening to His Master’s Voice as their logo with something more modern, but it seems like they brought it back at some point.

  12. 12.

    lamh32

    BTW, I’ve been thinking, since ya’ll are such pet people here, I have to ask a question.

    I’m thinking of getting a dog, but I would rather have one that fairly low maintenance. By low maintenance, I mean a dog, that would be the easiest to have on a “budgeted” income.

    Any suggestions.

  13. 13.

    John Cole

    @lamh32: Go to the pound. Go every couple of days for as long as it takes until you find the “one.”

    There. You just got an 85-100 dollar dog. Cheapest dog on the planet, and worth every single damned penny.

    In general, mutts are healthier and if they are smaller 20-40 lbs, live longer, and don’t have the hip displasia, as well as they don’t have any of the inbred genetic disorders (blindness, prone to cancer, etc.). In addition, they are smarter (IMHO), more loyal, and you have saved a life.

    Just stay away from beagle mixes, which are a total PITA.

    I’m sure Anne Laurie can add more.

  14. 14.

    neill

    all righty… 3 more dogs, cigars, cards, chips, maybe a visor or two, a little dean martin on the victrola…

    stud… 5 card stud…

  15. 15.

    Comrade Mary

    OK, scratch the bad feeling. P Tirebiter’s super-strikeout hasn’t made it this far down.

    Damn it, I want a kitty again. But money is still iffy and I’m barely handling my current life responsibilities. So I’ll just have to look at other people’s pets.

  16. 16.

    lamh32

    @John Cole:

    thx.

    I’m a “scientist” by trade, so I obsess and over-obsess and digest, and research, and analyze and over analyze before I make any type of decision, it can get to be really anal retentive, but I have a feeling in this case, that I’m gonna have to go a little by gut reaction, once I finish the “researchin”.

  17. 17.

    Violet

    Doggies! Huck is quit the looker, Lily is such a lady, and Rosie is so much trimmer than when you first got her. Can she climb out of the basement yet?

    @lamh32:

    I’ve been to a few weddings, and I gotta say, I’ve never been to one where the Bride or Groom didn’t show up for the actual day.

    I was invited to one that got canceled a day or two before the actual wedding day. But they neglected to tell everyone they’d invited. So a lot of people showed up and were milling around the church, which was locked. Everyone was totally confused and didn’t know what was going on. Finally someone from the wedding’s inner circle (a family member I think) showed up to tell everyone what had happened.

    It was all for the best, as the bride was making a terrible choice to marry this guy. She ended up marrying someone she’d known forever as a friend but had never dated. After the wedding cancellation they finally got around to dating, and ended up getting married and now have kids and seem totally happy. So there you go. All worked out in the end.

  18. 18.

    lamh32

    Okay, wait a minute, this woman left this dude, right after the ceremony, and actually said that the actual act of the ceremony, made her realize that she couldn’t be married??? Huh…ain’t that about a bitch!

    Now he did ask her to marry him after only 6 weeks, but still, they actually flew to Ireland and planned the whole ceremony in Ireland for 4 months after they met. They actually showed the actual wedding video!!!! She couldn’t have told dude BEFORE flying to Ireland???

    Homegirl never made it past the reception.

  21. 21.

    Rey

    because she eats lying down.

    This brought tears to my eyes. I’ve always known Rosie was lucky to have you but, for some reason it just hit me with this sentence. Or maybe it’s because I have not had a cigarette in over 24 hrs and this time it is permanent — Dammit!

    Rey +2

  23. 23.

    trollhattan

    Lily has that “Hello, how can I possibly serve you today?” look. Good pupeh, Lily, gooood pupeh!.

  24. 24.

    Harry Kawasaki

    I’m convinced that Beagle is Old English for ‘Hard-Headed Eating Machine”.

    My dog eats lying down, but never been crated.

  25. 25.

    lamh32

    @Violet:

    The last story they showed was about the dude who was marrying this girl. The girl’s mom, did not like the guy for whatever reason, so they planned the whole wedding without telling her mom and any of her family or friends, and they were all set to get married, and they got all dressed up and all that, and on the wedding day, she got a call from a friend who she had not told about her wedding, and they friend asked her what she was doing, and she said “getting married”, and the friend, said, “what, why???”, and the girl right then and there decided that she couldn’t go through with it. She told the dude that she got a call from her job, and she HAD TO go into work, “RIGHT NOW”, cause no one could cover her shift??? She said it would take an hour, she left, he let her leave, and she never came back.

    so he drives to her job, and of course she ain’t there. So for a year, he was all heartbroken and in despair, and whatever.

    But, that’s not even the WTF part of the story. She came to see him a year later, and explained the true story, and they actually did get married in April of this year, this time with all her families and friends knowledge this time. so I guess it all worked out.

    But personally, I don’t know if could trust someone enough to be willing to have another wedding planned with them.

    but whatever, hope they stay together!

  26. 26.

    Felonious Wench

    @John Cole:

    Just stay away from beagle mixes, which are a total PITA.

    My Lab/Beagle rescue, who is currently eating one of my houseplants, says you can kiss her ass, Cole.

  27. 27.

    Svensker

    Awwww. Does my heart good. Rosie is practically trim now!

    Seeing them sure as hell beats facebook battling with cousins in rural outer bumfuckistan who are lecturing me on what New Yorkers should do and what Muslims are really like — because there are so many Muslims in Custer, Washington, who are bosom buddies with right wing fundies.

  28. 28.

    Jebediah

    @Rey:
    Yeah, that was upsetting, wasn’t it? So glad she landed where she did.
    And yes, Huck is a good-looking fella…

  32. 32.

    TaMara (BHF)

    Okay, don’t yell* at me Cole, but I’m having serious issues actually posting comments. I post, then I get the interminable spinning wheel while at the bottom it says waiting for some ad to load, which never does and then the whole page times out. I bet only 3 or 4 of my last couple of days comments have actually posted, and some of those because I was persistent as hell and remembered to copy my comment before I hit submit.

    I just wanted someone out there to know.

    *because my boss has done enough of that this week. Today because I had the audacity to do my job, pay the bills and work on getting his ass out of debt. This company makes my family look functional.

  34. 34.

    Mary G

    Rosie is much more svelte! What a trio of pretty puppies! It’s great to hear that she trusts people again.

  35. 35.

    Svensker

    @Rey:

    Or maybe it’s because I have not had a cigarette in over 24 hrs and this time it is permanent -Dammit!

    You will find it to be the best thing you’ve ever done. Trust me. Be calm. You’ll get through the rough patch, which is minor in the grand scheme — then it’s all sunlit uplands. Truly.

    @Greenhouse Guy: What a sweetie.

  42. 42.

    Tattoosydney

    Just back from voting.

    There is an election with important implications for all Americans going on, people! (Mind you, it might not be the one I voted in.)

    In other news, Pedro has a chew snack and is in a frenzy of happiness.

  45. 45.

    jeffreyw

    @Rey: I quit a couple months back, went with the patches. Still wantin a smoke. It’s the main reason I’m cooking up a storm, if I’m busy I don’t think about it.

  46. 46.

    gsp

    I’m pretty sure this is the first time an animal has entered Cole’s house and not gained weight. Anyone remember how slim and trim Lilly was when she first came?

  48. 48.

    General Stuck

    Interesting tidbit of trivia

    This is Mr. Obama’s 9th vacation since taking office. As of today, he has spent all or part of 38 days on “vacation” away from the White House. He has also made 14 visits to Camp David spanning all or part of 32 days. It brings his total time away to all or part of 70 days.

    It’s less than the “vacation” time taken during the same period by his immediate predecessor. (Former President George W. Bush gets the quotation marks too.)

    As of this point in his 1st term, Mr. Bush had made 14 visits to his Texas ranch spanning all or part of 102 days. He also made 40 visits to Camp David spanning all or part of 123 days. His “vacation” total at this point in his presidency was all or part of 225 days away.

    What a slacker presnit, Obama.

  49. 49.

    scav

    @Tattoosydney:

    In other news, Pedro has a chew snack and is in a frenzy of happiness.

    Oddly enough, so does BJ. Did Pedro’s come in a box marked (in an unexpected nod to local tradition) Bob??

  51. 51.

    IronyAbounds

    I can attest to the pound dogs live longer theory. We have a pointer-shepherd mix that is 17-1/2. A bit wobbly at times now, deaf, and I think a bit senile, but at times she romps around like a puppy. Oh, and the shit falls out of her now whenever it pleases, so I’m not pleased at all about that. The rottweiler/basset hound/shepherd mix (yes, Dr. Frankenstein would be impressed) we have is 9 and doing quite well also.

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    @beltane: My take is that Lily appears to be posing for the camera, but what’s really happening is that she is entirely focused on the guy behind the camera.

  56. 56.

    Cain

    @General Stuck:

    If you use Firefox then Adblock is a must for Bj viewing. If you don’t have Firefox, get it. It will change your life, swear to gawd.

    Get the firefox 4 beta 3. OMG, so freaking fast. It’s like Chrome now.

    cain

  59. 59.

    General Stuck

    @Cain: I haven’t yet. I tried the first beta 4 version but it was barebones and went I back to 3,6, Will download the new one now.

  61. 61.

    Greenhouse Guy

    @Anne Laurie: I shall, thank you. This will force me to organize my pics…thanks. Look for an email soon. :) BTW this series has inspired me to help out at the local shelters and I will adopt when it it feasible for me.

  62. 62.

    Anne Laurie

    @Tattoosydney: Here in America, they are usually “wall ducks“. From my days as a wildlife art enthusiast, I think it has something to do with America’s manliness issues… pretty pictures of wolf pups or flying birds are totally not-ghey as long as you give them a macho title like “Perfect Day to Kill Something”. Swallows are poncey, but mallards are targets, and even a manly fella like Dick Cheney can adorn his den walls without fear of insinuendo. (Kinda like foxhunting “art” in Old Blighty.)

    Of course, the poor wall ducks themselves have become working-class signifiers, so much so that they are used for context in tv shows like Roseanne or hipster indy movies like Junebug…

  63. 63.

    Steeplejack

    @Yutsano:

    Pretty sure I’ll be picking up the tab again but I guess it’s my fault for actually saving up my cash & stuff having a job.

    Fix’d?

  65. 65.

    SIA

    @Rey: Rey, 1) how can you have a drink with no smoke, and 2) DON’T do the gum. One can quit cigs, but one can never quit the gum.

    I am now 30 years without a drink and 8 years without a cigarette. Fun times!

  67. 67.

    Steeplejack

    @lamh32:

    What Cole said. I know I call them trash hounds (I believe Canis detritus is the technical term), but I come from love. They really are the best.

    Just be aware that Cole has an inexplicable hatred for beagles, beagle mixes and beagle lookalikes. Go figure.

  68. 68.

    Mark S.

    @Tattoosydney:

    Just back from voting.

    It’s so cute that you guys vote at night. You Aussies do everything backwards.

    ETA: You even have winter in July. Whatevah!

  69. 69.

    Steeplejack

    @lamh32:

    In some sense it’s bound to be a crap shoot. You can’t “research” or predict whether a particular dog will get sick, or when, or whether it will fall off the porch and break a leg, etc. Don’t think of it like you’re buying a car.

    Most of my experience is with rescue or picked-up-off-the-street cats. I’ve had a number of them, for varying lengths of time, and I haven’t regretted a single one, or any of the money I spent on them. The last two went 18 and 20 years, respectively.

  70. 70.

    Anne Laurie

    John, to be fair to Rosie’s previous humans, since she has the runrunrun glitch in her programming they may have been reduced to keeping her crated “for her own safety”. Remember how terrifying it was when Rosie escaped from the car and ran off on you — and you’d only known each other for a couple of weeks at that point.

    Our rescue Zevon was left at a shelter, with his up-to-date medical records, shortly before his fifth birthday. His foster parents could not imagine why anyone would dump such a “perfect” dog — he was mellow, housebroken, and friendly with people, cats & other dogs. Shortly after he came to live with us, he gave me one of the worst nights of my life by jumping out a window, landing on gravel, and disappearing into a drizzly November evening. He managed a couple of similar Houdini escapes in the next few months (like the time he squirmed out of his car ‘safety harness’ and shot off into a hotel parking lot… in a strange state… in a snowstorm) before we got sufficiently paranoid about his ‘talent’. I’m sure he pulled this stunt one time too often on his first family, and they just couldn’t bear living with that potential for heartbreak any longer.

    And Rosie is a JRT, with a terrier level of energy and assertiveness. High-energy dogs — even those without the Runaway Gene — can end up in a negative feedback loop where they are too energetic for their owners to control, so they spend more & more time crated (or chained in the yard, or locked in the cellar), and every hour they’re crated makes them that much more crazed & hyper-fueled. Since Rosie’s already stopped snapping at people, I doubt she was (deliberately) abused; I suspect she just spent too much time bored & frustrated, and took her frustration out by snapping, which only made people less likely to give her a chance to work out her energy safely.

    She’s a very lucky little dog to have ended up with a nice, patient person who can give her enough exercise to stay sane — I think we can all agree to that!

  72. 72.

    wmsheppa

    @Anne Laurie: I nearly managed to lose my cat on a plane flying cross country… she woke me up at 3 AM by headbutting me in the shins, so I took her into the bathroom to clean her carrier (which I assumed she had done something unpleasant in) only to discover that she was bored and wanted to explore. I took my time rearranging the interior, looked around the locked airplane bathroom, and could not find her.

    On a related note, did you know that there’s an under the sink in airplane bathrooms?

    To add insult to injury, it was in the forward bathroom, so I was terrified the gap under the sink that went into the cockpit and my cat was running wild in there. I had some fun visions of trying to explain that one to the flight crew… safe to say I’m not at my sharpest at 3 or 4 AM after spending a couple hours in an airplane.

  73. 73.

    Anne Laurie

    @lamh32:

    I’m thinking of getting a dog, but I would rather have one that fairly low maintenance. By low maintenance, I mean a dog, that would be the easiest to have on a “budgeted” income.

    Excellent advice so far — go to your local shelter. I think you are in an urban area, so you may have a choice of shelters/rescue groups, in which case you can shop around for the one that doesn’t make you horribly depressed or paranoid to visit. Be honest with them about what you can & can’t handle — you want a smallish dog, low maintenance, and not one that’s liable to surprise you with unexpected emergency costs. You may have to wait for a few weeks or months, or even choose to volunteer for a while, until Your Perfect Companion shows up.

    It’s not entirely true that mixed-breds are “healthier” than purebreds… genes being what they are, the unlucky pound puppy can end up inheriting the worst from all its indiscriminate ancestors (like the one I knew who inherited cocker skin allergies, mini-schnauzer liver problems, and poodle kidney issues). But a grown-up dog (at least 10 months to 2 years old) is less likely to surprise you with new, expensive health issues.

    All else being equal, small dogs (under 30lbs) live longer than big dogs, and if you don’t own your own home, a dog under 30lbs makes it a lot easier to get a lease or condo agreement. On the other hand, if you’re a tenant, you don’t want an “alarm barker”… which, frankly, is what many toy breeds were invented for. So, again, be up-front with the shelter and don’t let them fob you off with “All dogs bark a lot when they’re here, s/he’ll quiet down as soon as s/he feels secure in a new home.” (If anything, you will be far better off with a somewhat submissive dog like John’s Lily, who didn’t bark at all when she was in the shelter or for some time after Cole brought her home.)

    And finally… yes, beagles and beagle-crosses can be VERY mouthy, dedicated runaways, hardheaded and difficult to train, and somewhat “doggy”-smelling even fresh from a bath. On the other hand, it would not come as a surprise to me if a certain dainty, adorable blog-mascot was DNA-tested and turned out to be part beagle. I think that’s one reason John has no intention of getting Lily tested :) .

  74. 74.

    Tattoosydney

    @Mark S.:

    ETA: You even have winter in July. Whatevah!

    You made me snort. Bastard.

    We also have to wear weighted shoes so we don’t fall off the planet. It’s why we are so bad at athletics, but good at swimming. No lead shoes in the pool.

  76. 76.

    Steeplejack

    @Anne Laurie:

    On the other hand, it would not come as a surprise to me if a certain dainty, adorable blog-mascot was DNA-tested and turned out to be part beagle.

    You lie!

  80. 80.

    Yutsano

    @Steeplejack: Well there is that detail as well, but it felt too much like rubbing salt in the wound. Absolutely technically I haven’t started yet, but I still have a decent financial cushion to get me by until that happens.

    Oh and I didn’t end up paying. :)

    @Tattoosydney: One would think centrifugal force would just throw y’all into the moon, but apparently y’all get lucky like that. Plus I stand by what I said about Maori men.

  83. 83.

    frosty

    @Anne Laurie: Yes, but did your puppeh jump out of a 2nd story window? Our German Shepherd did, once. Was found on another occasion perched on the windowsill and a kind neighbor with a ladder “helped” her back inside. Found on two other occasions on the porch roof. My, but she was an escape artist. We managed to keep hold of her through 12 years, though.

    I miss her, although I have to admit I don’t miss the cold nose in my face at 6:30 on a snowy morning indicating that a walk was necessary.

  85. 85.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: Konban wa.

    So I haz really good news. One of my good friends who is pregnant…as of 4:48 PM today isn’t. Cinda Syke came into the world at home with the assistance of a midwife. Mom, Dad, and baby are quietly resting at home. I plant to jaunt on over there tomorrow and check out the situation and if allowed I’ll show pics. WOOOOT!!

    @asiangrrlMN: Heh. I really shouldn’t have since this is her second try. But everything went swimmingly and now poor Brandon (the husband) is in a house full of girls now. The two of them are true free spirits, so that child will do more living by the age of 1 than most do in their lives. It’s gonna be exciting!

  87. 87.

    Tattoosydney

    @asiangrrlMN:
    @Yutsano:

    Isn’t that team black or whatever the team with the black unis? They are fiiiiine!

    The All Blacks, best known for the haka.

    And, Gooooo, Team C (from voting). When do you find out?

    Voting closes in an hour. All our voting is on paper, as well, so it can take a couple of hours, particularly if it is as close as expected.

    ETA: Life is good. Unpleasantly busy. How you both?

  88. 88.

    Lesley

    Why do you keep crushing my heart with these delectable snapshots of DOGS I CAN’T HAVE.

    Huck is unbearably cute.

    And somehow they all look related.

  91. 91.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Tattoosydney: YES! Them. I LOVE them. Nice thigh muscles. Mmmmmm…..

    Paper voting? How…quaint. I’m kidding. In MN, I only have paper voting as well. Which I prefer. Hope Team C wins!

    I’m all right. Getting in touch with my girly side. Either of you know how to use a lip-liner pencil?

  92. 92.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: Voting in WA is mostly by mail, it varies by county however. I don’t plan on changing my voting registration when I move so that way I’ll be certain to get a paper ballot. I feel much more comfortable voting on a sheet of paper. In fact IIRC voting machines are illegal in the state. Not sure of that however.

    @Tattoosydney: I do get that added benefit yes. Coupled with a complete lack of desire to reproduce on my own, and I’ll choose to let my friends go through the messier parts of heterosexual reproduction.

  95. 95.

    EJ

    @General Stuck: Oh who cares! The president’s on call 24/7 for his entire term – even on vacation he’s surrounded by aides and sophisticated communications equipment to keep him up to speed.

    It’s not like he’s bumming around on the beach in Bali.

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